Main menu

NETWORKING

10 Nerdy Gifts For Networking Pros

Does your favorite IT guy or gal have just about every Dr. Who, Star Wars or Star Trek collectible known to man? Are you looking for something a little different for that geeky loved-one or fellow cube-dweller? Have no fear, Network Computing has come to the rescue with this year's ultimate IT gift guide. We've got a range of gifts appropriate for stocking stuffers, gift exchanges, employee appreciation gifts and just plain old fun gifts for roommates or family members.

Price:$1.88-$2.99

A security breach, software rollout or upcoming compliance inspection can certainly make the IT department feel like the zombie apocalypse is upon them. And it's those times when caffeine is an absolute survival necessity. Having a bandoleer of energy drinks at hand could help a lot. ZombieBlast is a two-ounce, sugar-free energy shooter with tons of caffeine, B-vitamins and a spiffy reusable shotgun-shell-shaped bottle that will look pretty cool sitting on a desk alongside various cartoon bendy-toys.

Price:$19.00

Know of a co-worker or a loved one who's feeling a little too corporate mainstream? Here's a little instant counter-culture charm to the rescue. Your gift recipient will gladly trade in that blue polo for a bright orange shirt emblazoned with the anarchic black hat hacker group LulzSec's toasting dandy logo. If anything, they'll do it for the lulz!

Price:$39.99

Would you like to have Siri at your beck and call without needing to hold your iPhone? Do you want to be able to shout at Siri from across the room? The IRIS 9000 Bluetooth Speaker and Speakerphone can help. Simply dock the phone and use the provided remote to activate Siri from a distance. The unit has a built-in mic and amplifier to ask questions without having the phone directly in front of you. An eerie red LED eye flashes in time with Siri's voice, just like HAL.

Price: Cost of supplies and your brawn/brains

There's no better way to be the hit of a shareholders' meeting than by bringing the whole Internet in a box, complete with flashing red light. The plastic box is a replica prop from geek-favorite TV show, "The IT Crowd," and an excellent reminder that business-types just don't always "get" IT. It's the perfect gift for someone who just might be goaded into pranking someone who could actually believe it holds the Internet in its sleek confines. Until recently, you could find a pre-made The Internet box on Etsy, but it appears to no longer be available. However, the industrious gift giver can follow these instructions to create a DIY version.

Price:$42.17

Imagine they gave a Navy SEAL the mission of running Puppy Linux on an old PII box. You can bet he's going to transport the distro on a Corsair Flash Survivor. There's all the usual stuff. It's a 32 GB 3.0 drive that's plug-and-play. But then the cool stuff--it is housed in an anodized aircraft-grade aluminum case. It's vibration and shock resistant, and even waterproof up to 200 meters. It can call-in air strikes and doubles as a smoke grenade. Actually, it doesn't really do those last two things. But it would still be a great stocking gift for tech types.

Price:$24.40

The solution to 98% of tech support calls, now on an easy-to-read coffee mug. A perfect companion piece for when your "Is it plugged in?" mug is in the dishwasher. As anyone in IT knows, this magic little phrase it is the first step in troubleshooting any electronic problem.

Price:$54.99

The average office cubicle is 75 square feet. That means that the iLaunch Thunder Missile Launcher can effectively dominate almost 20 cubes with its air-launched foam missiles, 270-degree horizontal rotation, and upwards of 25 foot range. The iLaunch toy is easily controlled by a Bluetooth-paired iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad. It has a lithium battery that can be charged via the included USB cable and comes with four foam missiles. The potential for battles, pranks and HR violations is endless!

Price:$55.00

While your co-workers would prefer a Space Invaders arcade cabinet machine, these decals lead to less of a productivity hit than the real thing might. The decal kit has 107 pieces of aliens, shields, rays and other essentials. It even has low-res numbers to track imaginary scores and credits. Interestingly, the product is actually licensed by game giant TAITO. Also available: Asteroids, Pac-Man, Centipede and assorted 8-bit sprites. It's the perfect shared gift for geeky office mates.

Price:$20.98

Any networking pro with even a smidge of security experience will tell you that you can never be paranoid enough. Reward their vigilance with a stylish aluminum "RFID-blocking" wallet and convince them to give up the tinfoil and duct tape wrapped around their existing carrier of chip-enabled credit cards and door keys.

Price:$32.71

Does your IT office have a bunch of dusty old SATA, 3.5 IDE, 5.25 IDE and 2.5 IDE drives scattered around? Of course it does. Have you ever wondered what's on them? Of course you have. With this USB to SATA/IDE transfer kit from Vantec, there's a quick and easy way to plug an old drive into a new laptop and snoop away. Or maybe you have some business reason for accessing them. That's fine, too. The three-foot cable with external power adapter makes it simple to hot-swap old drives for the sake of additional storage. Or simply for curiosity's sake. Whichever.